Neglecting your roof is a lot like playing Russian roulette: you’re putting your most valuable asset and your family’s safety and well-being at risk in a potentially devastating game of chance. If you look at the costs of ignoring your roof in those terms, it’s easy to see that it’s better to minimize your risk instead by taking these steps:
Keep Your Roof Properly Maintained
Extensive, costly roof problems typically start out small and worsen over time. It’s easier for a large section of shingles to get torn off during high winds if you haven’t replaced broken or curled shingles. If there’s a damaged or missing section of flashing around the chimney or a plumbing vent pipe, this weak point can give a significant amount of water an easy entry route into your attic during the next heavy rain. The best way to minimize inconvenience and expense and keep your home safe and dry is to monitor the condition of your roof, have it inspected periodically by an experienced, dependable roofing contractor and take any necessary steps to keep it maintained and in good repair.
Guard Against Structural Deterioration
Issues that adversely affect your roof can also lead to structural deterioration of your home that leaves you facing extensive and expensive repairs or, worse, puts your family’s safety in jeopardy. It might be that moisture gets trapped behind poorly-functioning gutters and slowly rots the fascia and soffits, which allows water up under the roof edge, where it ruins the shingles and decays the decking. Or, heavy or significant amounts of snow don’t get cleared off your roof during the winter, and the extra weight weakens the supporting structure and causes a devastating collapse.
Prevent Ice Dam Formation
In our climate, we often experience fluctuating winter temperatures. Repeated thaw-freeze cycles can allow an ice dam to form along your roof’s edge if your attic isn’t well-sealed and insulated. The ice blockage keeps the runoff from additional melting snow from draining away, so it backs up under your roof shingles or metal panels and leaks into your attic and exterior walls. Once inside your home, water can saturate the attic insulation, corrode electrical wiring, ruin your ceiling drywall, and allow mold to flourish.
If you want to avoid a costly game of Russian roulette by keeping your roof in good repair, contact us at Victors Home Solutions, your dependable home improvement contractor.
